It wasn’t difficult for Blair
to guess where Jim would go to be safe, to keep Blair, himself, safe. It wasn’t
any big stretch of the imagination to know that his lover had returned to the
jungle that had been his home for years. There was no way that the government
would be able to track Jim there, no way that any sign of him would show, except in a rumor.

No, the difficult part was in
telling himself to wait.

Blair knew that even though he
was safe from reprisal, thanks to Simon and Naomi’s press contacts, as safe as
he could be at least, he was being watched. They were waiting for him to go to
Jim. They were waiting for him to give in to his need to see his Sentinel, to
be with him again. What they didn’t realize was the extent of Blair’s patience.
He could wait to see Jim for a lot longer than they had a budget with which to
watch him.

So Blair slowly picked up the
pieces of his life. He had returned to teaching after the media frenzy of his
quasi-government sponsored kidnapping died down. He had returned to lecturing
and tutoring. He continued to counsel kids at risk of turning to crime, and
consulting with Major Crimes on cases that needed his unique expertise.

It would have been a perfect
life if Jim had been with him. As it was, Blair’s heart beat painfully in his
chest as days turned into weeks, and then months, and then finally, a year had
passed. The day that Jim had left came by again and Blair found himself crying
silent tears in bed that morning, even before he was fully awake.

It was a Tuesday that day,
which was good. Blair forced himself to get out of bed and take a shower, to
maintain his routine in the face of his breaking heart. Classes that day were
particularly difficult, but Blair managed to get through them. No one caused
any problems, probably able to tell from his face that it was a bad day.

Simon showed up for lunch
around two, knowing that Blair’s mid-day class got out at one thirty and Blair
seldom remembered to eat lunch after. Arms crossed over his chest, Simon
insisted, “You are not blowing me off, Sandburg.”

A quirk of humor reestablished
itself and Blair teased, “That’s a funny thing for a straight man to say to a
gay one.”

Blair grinned and followed
Simon out of his office to the car. The drive to Simon’s favorite deli was
quiet and short, each man lost in thought. It wasn’t until they were sitting in
the uncomfortable plastic booth that Simon finally broke the silence with,
“When are you going to start looking for him?”

Blair’s lips twisted as he
answered, “Never.”

He didn’t have to look, after all, he knew where Jim was.

Astonished, Simon pointed out,
“He’s not coming back, Blair. If you want to be with him, you’re going to have
to go to him.”

“I know.”

“And you’re not going to?”

“No.”

Simon searched his eyes for a
long moment then sighed. “You’re a stronger man than I am, Blair.”

With a shrug, Blair answered,
“Strength has nothing to do with it.”

“It does from where I’m
sitting,” Simon said softly.

Uncomfortable with the extent
of Simon’s regard, shown clearly in his dark eyes, Blair shrugged again and
turned back to his sandwich. He hadn’t lied, technically, but not telling the
whole truth, especially to Simon, bothered him. There was no way around it,
though, not to keep Jim safe.

****

The jungle welcomed him back as
if he’d never left. It had been a simple thing for Jim to get from Cascade to Mexico
City and then to Peru.
The only thing he’d brought with him was a pillow cover that had been in
Blair’s hamper. It held his scent, which kept Jim grounded as well as possible
without his actual Guide beside him. He’d cut it up and sewn it into a banner
of sorts, tied about his neck. It wasn’t long before their scents mingled,
thanks to the sweat demanded by jungle humidity. That was fine, too, bringing
back loving memories that were already close to the surface.

Once out of the city and in the
jungle proper, Jim had made a beeline back to the village where he’d been
Sentinel for Incacha’s people. Incacha had taken one look at him and simply
enfolded Jim in his arms for a short, but heartfelt, hug.

Since then, Jim had done his
best to throw himself into his adopted world. He worked hard and long to keep
the tribe safe from encroachers, white and native both. He assisted with the
hunting and rebuilding after flood and fire, of which there had been one of
each during the insanely long year that passed after leaving Blair. He knew
that it would never be safe to go back, not really. Jim felt in his bones that
if rejoined Blair, they’d be right back where they’d started, no matter how
much press was involved.

So he lived in a state of
denial, keeping his thoughts on the time when he would see Blair walk into the
village. He fantasized about having Blair in his small home, in his bed and
writhing under him in so much pleasure that there were good-natured complaints
from their neighbors the following morning. As happened with all newlyweds, only
Jim pictured it continuing for years upon years.

Those dreams were what kept him
alive.

Shaking his head to break the
reverie, Jim rolled off the bed and climbed to his feet. It was going to be a
quiet day as they’d returned just yesterday from the hunt and the women were
busy preparing the meat.

“Enquiri.”

Turning to Incacha, Jim
half-smiled a greeting, but didn’t bother with words.

“It is a painful day for you,”
Incacha observed after searching his face.

Jim shrugged. “No more than any
other.”

Incacha’s hand lifted to sketch
an unfamiliar sign in the air as he said, “Dreams alone cannot sustain you,
Sentinel.”

Not surprised that Incacha had
guessed what he’d been doing, Jim replied, “Ihave nothing else to do so.”

“To live without the other half
of one’s soul is not living.”

“What about you?”

Incacha smiled and answered, “I
do not miss what I have not known.”

Snorting, Jim stated, “That’s a
load of crap.”

Incacha’s smile broadened and
he clapped Jim on the back, steering the bigger man towards the group of men in
the center of the village. “You would smell it first.”

Jim knew an evasion when he
smelled it, so to speak, but let it pass. He knew Incacha had his own share of
secrets and disappointments in life and didn’t want to add to his friend’s
pain, whatever it was. Looking up at the sky as he felt a change in the wind,
Jim frowned and reported, “We’re in for rain soon.”

Jim sighed. His life’s ambition
to become a weather-vane was now complete.

****

“You can’t continue to justify
this kind of expense. There’s been no movement for over a year. Cut your losses
and move on.”

Haggerty ground his teeth
together as he strove for patience. His new superior wasn’t nearly as in tune
with the possibilities that Ellison represented as the last. He’d been trying
to shut the project down since his assignment to oversight eight months ago.
“Sir, it’s a waiting game. Neither of them will be able to last much longer
without the other. All the evidence supports that.”

The man behind the desk shook
his head and stated, “If this is a waiting game, then you’ve lost. I’m not
going to justify these useless expenses any longer. Not when there are far more
important and legal ones that deserve
the money more. Furthermore, if I hear even a rumor that Dr. Sandburg or Captain Ellison have run into any
interference from you, you’ll be behind bars so fast, your head will spin. And
it’ll be a cell that doesn’t need a court verdict for, either.”

Knowing from the impassive eyes
that stared back at him from those glasses that he was serious, Haggerty
mentally changed gears. He dropped Ellison and Sandburg to the back burner and
stifled the ache to tell the man what he thought of him. Instead, Haggerty
offered a mild smile and replied, “Of course, Sir.”

****

Jack Kelso wheeled himself up
to Blair’s office with a smile on his face. It had taken over a year to
position himself properly within the organization, but he’d done it. Getting
into that oversight job had been a combination of calling in serious favors
owed and the judicious application of intimidation tactics that he hadn’t used
in a lot of years.

He’d done it though, and not
just because seeing Blair so lost was actively painful. The younger man had a
good handle on himself, but to those who knew him best, Blair’s face was a
constant mask of ill-concealed pain. Helping Blair had been his original goal,
but once he’d gotten inside, Jack had realized just how much good he could do.
He could take away funding from Black Ops that went too far and divert it to
projects that would actually do some good for the world.

Keeping Haggerty on a leash was
a bonus.

Knocking cheerfully on Blair’s
door, Jack barely waited for the forlorn, ‘Come in,’ to open the door and roll
into the small office. It always amused Jack a little that Blair kept the same,
tiny office no matter how high his profile got. When he asked Blair about it
now and again, he got the same answer. A faint grin and the response, “More
space just means more clutter. This keeps me organized, believe it or not.”

Blair’s face lightened with
honest pleasure on seeing him and he greeted, “Jack! It’s great to see you,
man! How are you?”

Smiling in return as he parked
by the desk, Jack answered, “Great Blair, thanks.”

“How’s the new job?” Blair
questioned, holding out a can of soda.

Jack waved it aside, replying,
“That’s why I’m here, actually. I know that I’ve been secretive about what I’ve
been doing the last year or so, but there was a good reason for it.”

Blair’s eyebrows rose as he
said, “Well, I have to admit the curiosity has been killing me. Tell me all
about it!”

So Jack did. As
swiftly and succinctly as possible. The way Blair paled so fast alarmed
him and Jack grabbed the other man’s forearm. “Blair! Don’t pass out on me!”

Shaking his head, Blair jumped
to his feet and paced to the other side of the room. Jack watched him closely,
concerned by the reaction. Now that he thought about it, he wasn’t sure what
he’d expected as a reaction. Silence, however, hadn’t been it. Finally, Blair
turned and the shuttered expression worried Jack even more.

“I’m grateful, Jack, I am,
but...I think I’m either going to start screaming or throw up. Maybe both. Could you, um, I just need to...I’ll call you as
soon as I’m sane again.”

Bemused by the rapid-fire reply
that preceded Blair’s rush out of the room, Jack grinned at the sudden and loud
whoop of joy from Blair in the hall outside.

****

“You’re where!?” Simon bellowed
into the phone.

Blair grinned and put the phone
back to his ear when the shout stopped echoing. He repeated, “I’m getting on a
plain to Ciudad Mexico
and then to Peru.
I’m bringing Jim home, Simon.”

“Are you insane, Sandburg? No,
that’s a stupid question. You are
insane!”

Taking a breath to try and slow
the rapid beating of his heart which, for the first time in too long, didn’t
feel like it was about to expire from sorrow, Blair was about to explain when
his flight was called. “I have to go. Call Jack and he’ll explain everything.
Bye Simon, I love you!”

Blair hung up before Simon
could do more than shout his name again in protest. He bounced in anticipation
as he waited in line to get on the plane.

****

Jim had been tense for over a
week, but he couldn’t explain it. There hadn’t been anyone in their territory
that didn’t belong there and the weather was as calm as it ever got. They had
plenty of food and the children were happy and running around underfoot as they
always did in times of peace and prosperity.

“Enquiri?”

Jim jumped in surprise at
Incacha’s question of his name and snarled at himself as he looked at the older
man, alarmed that he hadn’t heard the Shaman’s approach. He heard the unspoken
question and snapped, “I don’t know
what’s wrong! Something...something is coming and I don’t know what.”

He strode from the village
armed with his crossbow and quiver, the knives that never left his thighs and
calves, and the pistol that he’d taken from the body of a bandit on the wrong
side of their borders. The body itself had been left as a warning where it
could be found.

Traveling soundlessly through
the trees and underbrush, Jim easily avoided the snares that would confound
even an experienced guide. He stopped short at the thought, his body frozen as
he realized what it was that had been teasing his senses. Stilling completely,
Jim focused east, where he’d last gotten that whiff of something familiar. It
took a few minutes, but finally the wind brought it back to him and Jim moaned
in need and anticipation.

Less than a second later, he
was running towards Blair.

****

Blair cursed eloquently as he
struggled to put his tent together. He’d used this kind before, but it
definitely wasn’t cooperating. Murphy’s Law, naturally, since it was raining a
solid drizzle that got into everything, no matter how waterproof it was
supposed to be.

Finally managing to pop it into
place, Blair heaved a sigh of relief and tossed his bags inside. He was on
course, he knew that much, but he had no idea how far from the village he
actually was. The old woman he’d talked to at the last village had pointed him
in the right direction and there was something in the dark eyes that had told
him to trust her more than any map.

Not that he was all that great
with maps in the first place.

Chuckling at the thought, Blair
took a moment to turn his face to the concealed sky, seeing only the thick
intertwining of branches and leaves that held the full fury of the rainstorm
from him, but allowed enough through to soak himself
and the ground. Pulling off his waterlogged shirt, Blair shrugged
philosophically and hung it over a branch, the rest of his clothes following in
short order. He was, after all, alone in the jungle. There was no one to care
if he walked around naked.

There was a strange moment of
prescience just after that thought as he turned towards the tent to get some
sleep. The hairs on the back of his neck rose and he stiffened just before he
was tackled to the ground. Shouting and cursing, Blair fought his attacker, but
he was severely outmatched and pinned to the ground in short order. Feeling the
hard cock separated from his ass only by a thin layer of fabric caused him to
struggle even more fiercely so that it was a long time before the voice
penetrated his panic.

The realization that it was Jim
caused Blair to go limp in relief, sagging into the mud face first until Jim
flipped him carefully over. There was a bruise darkening Jim’s cheek where
Blair’s elbow had connected, but the blue eyes were clear as they stared back
at him. Blair opened his mouth to breathe Jim’s name when his lover swallowed
it in a deep, wet kiss.

Opening his mouth to Jim, Blair
returned the kiss and wrapped his legs around the bigger man, squeezing tight.
The kiss went on forever, releasing him only for short breaths until he was
light headed. When Jim pulled back, Blair moaned in disappointment, but Jim
grinned fiercely at him and started undoing his pants. Nodding desperately,
Blair released him enough for Jim to unzip and shove his pants down, the hard,
thick cock bobbing up instantly.

“I can’t wait, Blair, can’t,
don’t want to hurt you but...”

“Do it! God, Jim, just do it!”
Blair interrupted.

Jim lined up with a nod and
slowly pushed inside. Blair moaned in pain and pleasure, aching to have his
lover all the way in and not caring about the burn of muscles that would
adjust, however reluctantly. Jim refused to hurry, no matter how much Blair
begged, but finally he was balls to ass and kissing Blair again as he stayed
throbbing inside Blair’s body.

Relinquishing himself to his
Sentinel, Blair’s entire body relaxed and he accepted the loving kiss pressed
upon him. Lightly scratching his nails up and down Jim’s bare back, Blair
shifted restlessly, eager to have Jim moving inside. The muscles tensed under
his fingers and Jim groaned, chest-deep with feeling. Finally, he pulled slowly
out to the tip, then plunged back in. Blair shouted
wordlessly and again wrapped his legs around Jim’s ass, locking his ankles
together to urge his lover on.

It was long and hard, Jim
taking Blair’s mouth time and again while their bodies strained together. Blair
couldn’t remember being so hard and needy, demanding everything that Jim had to
give him and more, pulling his lover’s very soul into every sloppy, wet kiss. As
intense as it was, Blair knew it couldn’t last, even as the thought never
consciously formed. His balls tightened in anticipation and he clawed at Jim,
getting as close as he possibly could.

Jim pounded into him, every so
often slipping in the mud and driving even further into Blair. The friction and
heat, the sensation of the rain and sweat and tears mixing together, the way
Jim’s cock filled him and owned him and hit his prostate often enough to ring
bells...it drove him closer to ecstasy with each slap of heavy balls to his
ass.

Pulling his mouth away from
where it had been sucking a mark into Blair’s throat, Jim swore hoarsely, “Never
letting you go again, never!”

“You won’t have to,” Blair
promised in return, smiling through the madness of need and sensation. “We’re
safe, Jim, no one’s going to try for us again, Jack
made sure of it.”

“Jack? Never mind. Later,” Jim
ordered, grunting as he slammed into Blair again.

The next few minutes were
silent ones, the stillness broken only by the wet sounds of their bodies moving
together. There were no more kisses as Blair’s entire body tightened, on the
edge. There was only Jim’s eyes on his, staring into
his and promising him the world. Blair couldn’t keep it together, though, his
eyes rolling back as he came, spitting seed between them and biting his lip
bloody as he felt the wet warmth of Jim fill him.

On overload, Blair’s heart
stopped from the pleasure and he could feel the world change around them,
shifting into a blue-tinted jungle where it seemed their very spirits joined.
He came crashing back to himself, panting with his heart thundering against his
ribs and Jim collapsed, out cold, on top of him.

Utterly spent, Blair couldn’t
even put his arms around Jim. He was smiling as he faded into sleep.

****

Jim smiled down at Blair tucked
into his arms and again kissed the frizzy curls that had dried into a wild
riot. He’d woken on top of Blair with his oblivious lover dead to the world.
Everything that had happened was kind of a blur, from the time that he’d
identified Blair’s scent to waking up inside him and hard again. Reluctantly,
Jim had quit Blair’s warm body and brought them inside the tent. The younger
man hadn’t even come to when Jim had moved them, which told Jim just how
exhausted Blair was.

It was the next morning before
Blair finally stirred, nuzzling against Jim’s throat as he woke and said, “Thought I was dreaming, but it’s too damn hot for that.”

Chuckling, Jim agreed,
“Definitely not a dream, Chief.”

Deep blue eyes blinked open,
one hand coming up to wipe away the crud. “We’re safe, Jim, you can come back to
Cascade now.”

“So you said,” Jim replied,
cautious. “What happened?”

“Jack Kelso is in a position
now to protect us,” Blair explained.

“For how
long?”

Blair shrugged. “Indefinitely. I don’t see Jack getting pushed aside once
he’s in a place he doesn’t want to leave. And right now, he’s got enough power
to do some real good and keep shit like what happened to us, from happening
again, or to other people. He’s got friends, Jim,
we’re going to be safe.”

Staring up at the top of the
tent, Jim said slowly, “I can’t really protect you there. You and I could get
taken again, despite your friend’s help. The only real way to be safe is for
you to stay here.”

“Are you saying that you don’t
want to come back?” Blair questioned, soft.

Remembering the cool, soft rain
of his birthplace, and the sweet soft autumn wind, and the bitter, damp cold of
a winter night, Jim had to shake his head. “I want to, I just...I can’t be
sure, Blair.”

A gentle hand brushed through
the scant hair on Jim’s chest as Blair pointed out, “Nothing is ever sure, Jim,
but this is as close as we can get. Let’s go home. Please?”

Jim turned to look into Blair’s
eyes and saw the confidence and pleading there. He knew that if he asked, Blair
would remain there in the jungle with him. He knew that Blair would do anything
to stay with him and would, somehow, find a life to live here that was
fulfilling. But it wasn’t really fair of him to ask that of Blair. This was a
time to let go of his distrust and try for a new life. Try to find freedom in
another life where they could both be happy and what they were meant to be.